Have you ever heard of Genazzano, a little place 90 minutes outside of Rome, Italy?  It was the site of a famous sighting in church history.  On this date in 1457, the village gathered as usual at church to celebrate the day of St. Mark.  Suddenly, heavenly notes were heard, and a dark cloud descended over a wall of the […]

I can remember reading this book in middle or high school (it was my choice to read it–not assigned).  And on this date in 1719, Daniel Defoe published The Strange Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.  Although he is remembered fondly for this book today, he was a controversial character back then.  He was one who wrote a publication that actually got […]

I really found this exciting and interesting, especially in light of recent Boston news.  On this date in 1704, John Campbell published the first issue of the Boston News-Letter.  This became the first continuously published newspaper in America.  In the beginning, it heavily relied on British newspaper for its features and information.  Kind of interesting that this first came out […]

I remember this well–maybe not the exact date, but this was a big deal when I was in school.  On this in 1984, Margaret Heckler, President Reagan’s secretary of health and human services, announced the discovery of AIDS.  I am so glad that science has come so far in treating this horrible disease, but I remember the scare and misconceptions […]

Ever seen a two-cent piece?  I honestly didn’t know there was such a thing. On this date in 1864, the first two cent piece was released with the motto “In God We Trust.” This motto was new, and it was part of the U.S. Coinage Act.  But did you know that this motto was not the only one proposed?  Try […]

If you’re like me, you can remember Snoopy fighting the Red Baron in the beloved Peanuts comics and television specials. However, the Red Baron was more than just a fictional character.  His name was Manfred von Richthofen, and he was a German fighter pilot during WWI.  He was truly a baron, and he indeed flew a red plane.  He shot down […]

I always knew about the advent of sound in films due to the movie Singin’ in the Rain.  What I did not know was today’s fact.  On this date in 1926, Western Electric and Warner Brothers developed Vitaphone (pictured above), a new way to add sound to film. As early as 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest tried to develop […]

Well, this may have been the real beginning of our continued financial woes.  On this date in 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt made the announcement that America would be suspending gold exports to other countries.  In other words, we went off the gold standard.  No longer did our money have to be backed by gold.  It devastated the value of the […]

I’m sure you’re familiar with Paul Revere (if you are a U.S. history person).  After all, Geico even has an ad concerning it now.  But on this date in 1775, Paul Revere made his famous midnight ride.  The purpose of the ride was to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming to arrest them.  You might […]

Going all the way back to the 1960’s, Yale student Fred Smith had an idea for a shipping  company that concentrated on an updated air service that handled all shipping needs.  In 1971, this became a reality.  On this date in 1973, Federal Express began overnight operations.  Originally, they had 14 aircraft that serviced 25 major cities throughout the U.S. […]